O hino homérico a Deméter e o rapto de Perséphone: sentido do mito e o estabelecimento dos mistérios eleusinos

Abstract

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter refers to the central myth of the goddesses, Demeter (Δημήτηρ) and Koré (Κόρη). The hymn tells us about the separation of the deities, when Aidoneus (Ἅιδης), with the permission of Zeus (Ζεύς), kidnaps his niece, opening the way for the transformation of Koré into Persephone, queen of the Underworld. The myth plays an etiological role as a narrative, as it explains the reasons why the earth flourishes and others in which nothing sprouts from it. Here is the basis of the myth of the seasons and the inauguration of the Mysteries at Eleusis, which are configured as one of the most important of antiquity. Eventually the mysteries attracted initiates from all over the Greek World. The Mysteries became an integral part of the Athena religion. Religiosity in Eleusis allows us to visualize an area in which the feminine has an active and recognized space, among so many cults of male gods Eleusis stands out for having festivities for the mother and daughter goddesses.